Thurston's 2nd Dally M award
Congrats on Johnno winning his second Dally M Award & Matty B for best Fullback. Way to go boys!
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Karl deKroo and Steve Ricketts (source: www.couriermail.com.au)
September 05, 2007 12:00am
NORTH Queensland skipper Johnathan Thurston surged to his second Dally M Medal in memorable fashion, coming from the clouds to give his team the ultimate boost on the verge of the NRL finals.
The champion halfback became the first multiple medal winner since Newcastle champion Andrew Johns when he was voted rugby league's best player at a gala function at Sydney Town Hall.
Thurston, who won his first Dally M Medal in 2005, stole the award by a solitary vote from Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah.
He claimed victory when judge Matthew Johns awarded him three votes in the Cowboys' final-round triumph over the Bulldogs in Townsville.
Farah did not receive a vote in Wests Tigers' season-ending loss to Newcastle.
THE WINNERS
Fullback: Matt Bowen (Cowboys)
Wing: Jarryd Hayne (Eels)
Centre: Justin Hodges (Broncos)
Five-eighth: Darren Lockyer (Broncos)
Halfback: Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
Lock: Dallas Johnson (Storm)
Back-rower: Anthony Watmough (Sea Eagles)
Prop: Steve Price (Warriors)
Hooker: Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
Captain of the year: Steve Price (Warriors)
Coach of the year: Craig Bellamy (Storm)
Rookie of the year: Israel Folau (Storm)
Representative player of the year: Cameron Smith (Storm)
Provan Summons fans award: Nathan Hindmarsh (Eels)
Thurston joins Johns, Parramatta great Peter Sterling, Cronulla's Gavin Miller and Manly's Cliff Lyons as the only multiple winners of the Dally M award, which was first presented in 1980.
Thurston was overcome with emotion as he accepted the award last night.
When voting went silent after round 16, Farah led the count on 28, five ahead of Melbourne hooker Cameron Smith, and Thurston a further vote back.
But riding on the back of a five-match winning streak by the Cowboys to end the regular season, Thurston claimed an astonishing 13 votes in just five games.
He finished on 36, one ahead of Farah. Smith, the 2006 winner, finished third on 31, with Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen another vote back on 30.
Thurston said he would now focus on lifting the Cowboys to an elusive first premiership.
That campaign will start against his former club the Bulldogs in Townsville on Saturday night.
Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes said last night he had been asked many times why the Bulldogs had not done more to keep Thurston, who signed with the Cowboys after helping Canterbury to the 2004 NRL title.
"We had Brent Sherwin and Braith Anasta who had just re-signed but we made Johnathan what we thought was a good offer," Folkes said.
"However, the Cowboys trumped it and he was keen to go back to Queensland as well."
"We envisaged he would develop that dominance and ability to push a side around the park. He was only fairly young with us and five-eighth suited him because he didn't have to run the whole show on his own."
Asked how the Bulldogs could contain Thurston in Saturday night's qualifying final, Folkes said: "Thurston is a great player and almost impossible to contain. We probably just have to try to minimise the trouble he can cause us."
__________________________________________
Karl deKroo and Steve Ricketts (source: www.couriermail.com.au)
September 05, 2007 12:00am
NORTH Queensland skipper Johnathan Thurston surged to his second Dally M Medal in memorable fashion, coming from the clouds to give his team the ultimate boost on the verge of the NRL finals.
The champion halfback became the first multiple medal winner since Newcastle champion Andrew Johns when he was voted rugby league's best player at a gala function at Sydney Town Hall.
Thurston, who won his first Dally M Medal in 2005, stole the award by a solitary vote from Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah.
He claimed victory when judge Matthew Johns awarded him three votes in the Cowboys' final-round triumph over the Bulldogs in Townsville.
Farah did not receive a vote in Wests Tigers' season-ending loss to Newcastle.
THE WINNERS
Fullback: Matt Bowen (Cowboys)
Wing: Jarryd Hayne (Eels)
Centre: Justin Hodges (Broncos)
Five-eighth: Darren Lockyer (Broncos)
Halfback: Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
Lock: Dallas Johnson (Storm)
Back-rower: Anthony Watmough (Sea Eagles)
Prop: Steve Price (Warriors)
Hooker: Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
Captain of the year: Steve Price (Warriors)
Coach of the year: Craig Bellamy (Storm)
Rookie of the year: Israel Folau (Storm)
Representative player of the year: Cameron Smith (Storm)
Provan Summons fans award: Nathan Hindmarsh (Eels)
Thurston joins Johns, Parramatta great Peter Sterling, Cronulla's Gavin Miller and Manly's Cliff Lyons as the only multiple winners of the Dally M award, which was first presented in 1980.
Thurston was overcome with emotion as he accepted the award last night.
When voting went silent after round 16, Farah led the count on 28, five ahead of Melbourne hooker Cameron Smith, and Thurston a further vote back.
But riding on the back of a five-match winning streak by the Cowboys to end the regular season, Thurston claimed an astonishing 13 votes in just five games.
He finished on 36, one ahead of Farah. Smith, the 2006 winner, finished third on 31, with Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen another vote back on 30.
Thurston said he would now focus on lifting the Cowboys to an elusive first premiership.
That campaign will start against his former club the Bulldogs in Townsville on Saturday night.
Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes said last night he had been asked many times why the Bulldogs had not done more to keep Thurston, who signed with the Cowboys after helping Canterbury to the 2004 NRL title.
"We had Brent Sherwin and Braith Anasta who had just re-signed but we made Johnathan what we thought was a good offer," Folkes said.
"However, the Cowboys trumped it and he was keen to go back to Queensland as well."
"We envisaged he would develop that dominance and ability to push a side around the park. He was only fairly young with us and five-eighth suited him because he didn't have to run the whole show on his own."
Asked how the Bulldogs could contain Thurston in Saturday night's qualifying final, Folkes said: "Thurston is a great player and almost impossible to contain. We probably just have to try to minimise the trouble he can cause us."